Workers,communities, and industrial property: An emerging language of rights

Out of recent national debates and local struggles over plant closings, an alternative language of industrial property rights has emerged. This language places the rights of workers and communities above, or on a par with, those of owners and managers. While this new language of rights coexists with more traditional conceptions of owner/manager prerogatives, its emergence suggests that rights of property ownership, which are often seen as relatively immutable structural constraints upon the capitalist labor process, may themselves be contested and subject to change.     

De l'alliance à la gouvernance: logiques d'action et logiques d'acteurs dans un centre financier aux entreprises desjardins

Résumé ** :  Cet article présente une étude de cas d'un Centre financier aux entreprises, une forme d'alliance stratégique entre des caisses Desjardins d'épargne et de crédit. Nous recourons à un cadre d'analyse qui permet d'expliquer à la fois ce qui préside aux accords et aux conflits qui marquent ce nouvel arrangement organisationnel. Nous appréhendons ainsi l'organisation dans sa réalité complexe, notamment les tensions que vit la coopérative qui a des activités dans un domaine hautement compétitif et marchand tel que celui du financement aux entreprises. Ceci permettra de voir qu'outre les modes de gouvernance qui existent au sein des caisses Desjardins – hiérarchique, marchand et démocratique – la nouvelle logique connexionniste est porteuse d'un modèle d'entreprise en réseau (Boltanski et Chiapello, 1999) ainsi que de nouvelles logiques d'acteurs (émergent, de l'interface et occasionnel) caractérisant l'entreprise incertaine (Francfort et al. 1995). Un nouveau mode de gouvernance en réseau vient s'articuler aux autres modes de gouvernance existants, ce qui induit des ruptures avec le cadre coopératif traditionnel tout en assurant une certaine continuité avec les valeurs coopératives .     

Financing the German Mittelstand

This paper describes how the German Mittelstand, or small- and medium-sized enterprises, are financed in Germany. The role of the German Mittelstand, both in a static and in a dynamic framework, is described and contrasted with that of the same size group in other leading industrialised countries. We find that in general, the Mittelstand has played a mmore important role in Germany than in other industrialised nations, such as the United States or the United Kingdom. The traditional success of the German Mittelstand is partly attributable to a system of finance that is richly layered by complementary institutions designed to meet the financial needs of both large and smaller enterprises. However, we find evidence that even under the German system of finance liquidity constraints exist and are greater for smaller firms. The German system of finance moreover seems particularly deficient in the channeling of funds to new firm startups in the newer industries.     

Motivations of Fresh-Cut Produce Firms to Implement Quality Management Systems

A survey of the fresh-cut produce industry (e.g., bagged salads, baby carrots, stir-fry mixes, cut-fruit mixes) shows firms' motivation to adopt quality management systems and the effects of implementation on firms and their relationships with suppliers and customers. Data from surveyed members of the International Fresh-cut Produce Association suggest that system adoption was very widespread. The effects were intra-firm (e.g., improved management and efficiency of quality systems) and inter-firm (e.g., improved identification and facilitation of trade with firms in the supply chain). Satisfaction with adoption of quality management systems was linked to many of the same factors.     

Cost-effectiveness of rivaroxaban versus apixaban for the initial treatment of venous thromboembolism and extended prevention of recurrences in the UK

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the relative cost-effectiveness of using rivaroxaban vs apixaban for the initial treatment plus extended prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the UK. Extended prevention was assessed using a 10-mg rivaroxaban dose, as the 20-mg dose has already been evaluated.

Methods: A Markov model compared the health outcomes and costs of treating VTE patient cohorts with either rivaroxaban (15?mg twice daily for 3 weeks, followed by 20?mg once daily for 6 months, then extended prevention with 10?mg once daily) or apixaban (10?mg twice daily for 1 week, followed by 5?mg twice daily for 6 months, then extended prevention with 2.5?mg twice daily) over a lifetime horizon. The model included an initial acute treatment and prevention phase (0–6?months) and an extended prevention phase (6–18 months). Efficacy and safety data were derived from two network meta-analyses. Reference treatment comparators were derived from the EINSTEIN-Pooled study and EINSTEIN-CHOICE trial. Healthcare costs and utility data were derived from published literature.

Results: The rivaroxaban regimen was associated with increased quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and slightly lower total costs compared with apixaban over a lifetime horizon. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses demonstrated that rivaroxaban remained a cost-effective alternative to apixaban over a wide range of parameters. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio estimates were below the £20,000 per QALY threshold in 74.1% of 2,000 model simulations. Scenario analyses further supported that rivaroxaban is a cost-effective alternative to apixaban.

Limitations: Clinical and safety inputs were derived from network meta-analysis, which are subject to inherent limitations whereby small differences between study designs may severely impact efficacy and safety outcomes. Furthermore, these inputs were based on data from clinical trials, which may not reflect real-world data.

Conclusions: Rivaroxaban was associated with a slightly lower total cost and increased QALYs compared with apixaban for VTE management in the UK over a lifetime horizon.